On February 12 Deputy Director Debika Shome spoke at UnionDocs, a center for documentary art in Brooklyn. The panel, “Can Documentaries Save the World? Assessing, Funding, and Harnessing the Impact of Nonfiction Film,” prompted discussion among filmmakers, philanthropists, and activists on the role of documentaries in producing social change.

Shome discussed insights from HI evaluations and techniques for measuring social impact. She provided the panel with recent examples of successful documentary projects and outreach strategies.

On October 25, Deputy Director Debika Shome spoke at Third World Newsreel, a media arts organization committed to social justice issues.

Her talk, “Analyzing the Impact of Your Film” drew on insights from HI’s Waiting for “Superman” study. The talk provided insights on how low-budget, activist filmmakers can incorporate effective evaluation strategies into their artistic and outreach processes.

On Wednesday, September 28 at 7p ET, HI Deputy Director Debika Shome will speak on a panel titled, “An Evening of Conversation: Communicating Climate Change Facilitating Audience Connections,” at the National Conservation Training Center (NCTC) in Shepherdstown, WV.

Sponsored by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and NASA, the panel is part of the combined Earth to Sky (ETS) effort to create programs that support scientific literacy. Accompanying Shome on the panel is Connie Roser-Renouf, Principal Investigator for the “Global Warming’s Six Americas” project, and Becky Lacome, acting Training Manager for National Park Service Interpretation and Education.

The panel is free and open to the public.